Dear reader,

In this edition of Table Talk: a chef’s tour of his favourite Chinese restaurants in Scarbourough (with a quick North York pit stop); where to eat and drink in PEC, according to a bunch of Toronto chefs who now call the county home; an airport-adjacent Vietnamese spot worth lining up for; and what’s on the menu at a once-private, now-public King West restaurant. 

David Schwartz, the executive chef and co-owner of Mimi Chinese and Sunnys Chinese, took us on a tour of his favourite restaurants in his favourite Toronto neighbourhood: Scarborough. “It has one of the deepest food landscapes in North America,” he says. “The finds here are unparalleled.” See where Schwartz goes for chili chicken, lamb soup, braised pig’s trotters and noodles—so many kinds of noodles.

Prince Edward County’s food scene is on fire right now. Over the past few years, some heavy-hitting culinary talent has ditched city life for country living. We caught up with a handful of Toronto chefs who now call the county home and asked them where we should eat on our next visit to PEC.

Pho Ngoc Yen is a hopping Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in a Mississauga industrial park. The family-owned spot has won a legion of fans thanks to its culinary creativity—including its short rib pho and tasty bar snacks—but there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of it (unless you’ve had a layover at Pearson and trawled through Yelp for something tasty nearby).

Clio, a posh members-only club on King West, recently opened up its fourth-floor Mediterranean restaurant to the public for dinner and Sunday brunch. Named after owner Charles Khabouth’s late mother, Margo serves up mezze, flaming cheese, a bonkers dessert and some serious flower power.

After two years of takeout and home cooking, Toronto diners are keen to splurge on caviar, seafood towers and prime cuts of beef. And this is all happening at a time when chicken breasts are going for $23 a kilogram and we’re price-matching at supermarkets like it’s a bloodsport. The message, in short, is that if people choose to dine out, they’re going big. In our June issue, 20 restaurants where we’re more than happy to put our money where our mouths are. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.